Muddy Waters Chess Box CD

HE CHESS BOX covers Muddy Waters' career from 1947 through 1972. It features some previously-unreleased tracks, and many others previously unreleased in the U.S. The box includes a 32-page book with a complete discography of Waters' Chess recordings, track-by-track recording information and black-and-white photos.
Personnel includes: Muddy Waters (vocals, guitar); Little Walter (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Jimmy Rogers (vocals, guitar); Leroy Foster, Auburn "Pat" Hare, Luther Tucker, Earl Hooker, Buddy Guy, Sammy Lawhorn, Pee Wee Madison, Michael Bloomfield, Paul Asbell, Rory Gallagher (guitar); Walter "Shakey" Horton, James Cotton, Paul Oscher, Paul Butterfield, Jeff Carp, Carey Bell Harrington (harmonica); Alex Atkins (alto saxophone); Marcus Johnson, A.C. Reed, Ernest Cotton (tenor saxophone); Pinetop Perkins (piano, harpsichord, organ); John "Big Moose" Walker (piano, organ); Sunnyland Slim, Otis Spann (piano) Willie Dixon, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Phil Upchurch, Ric Grech (bass); Fred Below, Francis Clay, Sam Lay, Mitch Mitchell (drums).
Producers include: Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Ralph Bass, Gene Barge, Norman Dayron.
Compilation producer: Andy McKaie.
Principally recorded in Chicago, Illinois between 1947 and 1972. Includes liner notes by Mary Katherine Aldin and Robert Palmer.
The Chess Box does not contain all the great music Muddy Waters made. His talent and legacy are too large to be captured in a mere three discs, even one that spans from 1947 to 1972. This means, of course, that his legendary plantation recordings with Alan Lomax are not here, nor is his dynamic late-'70s comeback, Hard Again. But, truth be told, it doesn't feel like they're missing, since Waters' legend was built on the music that he made for Chess, and much of the greatest of that is here. Few box sets have chronicled an artist's best work as effectively as this; even the handful of rare, previously unreleased recordings sit perfectly next to the essential singles (this is particularly true of alternate takes of Fathers and Sons material). Sure, there are great Chess sides that aren't here, but those are great sides that the serious listener and aficionado need to seek out. For everybody else, this is a monumental chronicle of Waters at his best, illustrating his influence while providing rich, endlessly fascinating music. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
During the '40s and '50s, Chicago's Chess Records recorded a legion of blues legends. But none were greater than McKinley Morganfield, professionally known as Muddy Waters. Though born and raised on the Mississippi delta, Waters came to personify the brash, confident blues that blossomed in Chicago and Memphis in the post-war era. Between 1947 and 1972, Waters cut an uninterrupted stream of brilliant sides for Chess, the best of which are included on the three-disc CHESS BOX.
To call these recordings indispensable is merely to state the obvious. Any one of the following would place these records among the most important in blues history--Waters' deft slide guitar playing and intense vocals; stellar instrumental support from the legendary Little Walter; Otis Spann, James Cotton, and Buddy Guy, to name but a few of the blues greats who first worked with Waters; and a repertoire of classics that includes "Hoochie Coochie Man," "Rolling Stone," and "I Just Want to Make Love to You." The length and cost of this set may intimidate some (the single-disc HIS BEST is a less overwhelming alternative), but true blues lovers should consider investing in THE CHESS BOX, the best career overview of this undisputed giant of the blues.